Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 113 Entries. Friday, April 16 View Page Do Only Good Everyday.   Thursday, April 29 View Page Oh baby...people have started....it’s here!!...Two THOUSAND TWENTY ONE!!.. Big PuMpkins dot Com GarDen JOURNAL!!!!!!! Woooohooooooooo!!!! leetsss GOOoOOOO!!!!.... Draw back the Curtains!!!!....DiM thE Lights!!!!!....it’s Go TIME!!!! *(please feel free to sing along...your part will be in parentheses)   Thursday, April 29 View Page bUmp Bitta BAH!!!.... Bum bUm bUM bum bum BUMP Bitta DAH....!!!! Bum bum bum BAAHHH!!!... ( BUmbitta daH! ) BUMP BuM BUm BAAAaHH!!!!!! ( bUmPbitta Daahh!) dUn...dUN...DUNN.....D ——-   Thursday, April 29 View Page “ wtf are you doing daddy?..,.why’s it always gotta be like this?....can’t you be normal?....ummmm....ok saydee...I’ll just start....we don’t need the big....thing....I can just....yea, ok...let’s start.   Thursday, April 29 View Page Hi everyone!....what a brutal winter here in central Ny...   Thursday, April 29 View Page It snowed right before Christmas and that was it...covered in snow snow until early March. Felt like dale up in Alaska for awhile there....   Thursday, April 29 View Page I tell ya though.....as soon as that sun angle flipped its switch we entered into a beautiful spring.   Thursday, April 29 View Page Time to go to work.   Thursday, April 29 View Page Did they make it!?   Thursday, April 29 View Page Yessssss!!!.... our black hollyhocks made it through the winter...(they flower in year two)...these will make stellar background when taking photos of our 11 pound tomato.   Thursday, April 29 View Page There’s lambchop, rockin the Wallace wow hat, trimming off last season’s leaves...this will encourage them to do their thing...   Thursday, April 29 View Page This years plan- simple....a two thousand pound pumpkin...and another dynamite mater patch. We’re going for gold.   Thursday, April 29 View Page Step one....collect soil sample....CHeCk!   Thursday, April 29 View Page Step two- receive test results....and stare...   Thursday, April 29 View Page Step three—- get the other one too....the sciency one with the solutions...I can look at that one for an hour or two...   Thursday, April 29 View Page Step four...call someone that knows what the hell yer staring at for so long. But get to work.   Thursday, April 29 View Page For as long as this winter was, I can’t believe how quick we are back at it...I love this hobby but sometimes wonder if it makes things go by too fast.   Thursday, April 29 View Page 4 tons of compost put down. My back is sore.....   Thursday, April 29 View Page ....I had to get in the most awkward positions to take photos of lamb chop working....   Thursday, April 29 View Page Rock Paper Scissors....she always picks scissors for some reason....keep digging lambchop!   Thursday, April 29 View Page Amended up, Tilled up, heated up, let’s go.   Thursday, April 29 View Page Back up, schmackup, we’re all in with the 2114 WALLaCE...big big big big...please please please....!!!   Thursday, April 29 View Page Next step...walking boards..we make our own..this machine was dumb when I bought it but not so much anymore w lumber as high as it is....Thanks Obama...   Thursday, April 29 View Page Got some early “FaRmin” in this last week...it’s gonna be soybeans this year but when I get out here all I see are rows of giant pumpkins...   Thursday, April 29 View Page Can ya see me down there?...   Thursday, April 29 View Page I call this photo...” feeding the world”.   Thursday, April 29 View Page Here’s a volunteer lions ear that came up in early March...if there’s world record for these we might beat it...   Thursday, April 29 View Page It’s getting tall...this will be a stunner in the garden.   Monday, May 3 View Page At least there wasn’t a back-up to fry. The 2003 delates and the 1665 Macdonald will fight it out for the top spot. I’m tired already...got a week or two off now. From the pumpkin.   Monday, May 3 View Page The other stuff she has going?...holy cow. I’m not sure where 75 petunias are gonna go. And more lions ear...again...they get pretty big...dunno why need 50 of them...she’s so funny.   Monday, May 3 View Page I can see the panic setting in for her...don’t worry Maw...Me and Ron’s stuff got yer back...hopefully y’all are learning how the Wallace stuff works for your plants....it’s really good stuff. But we’re really not here for marigolds and zinnias are we?...   Monday, May 3 View Page I know what y’all are waiting for...oh yea. It’s time. And there it is. The Top Dawg trophy has made it to Jack!!! Let’s get this season kicked off!!!   Monday, May 3 View Page But first....an update....there has been a delay in the shipping of the remaining trophies. Mostly quarantine related, but the good news is I got a chance to talk to Ron a few weeks back and he sent us some Wallace wow SwAG to ship out also!!..a big congrats to last year’s winners!!!..My apologies for taking so long and my hearfelt thanks that not single person bugged me about it. Along with trophies, our “open division winners” The Rebel Rousers will receive 100.00 cash and the Wallace swag...The Winners of the draft division will win 50.00 each, second place 25.00 each and third 10.00 each with the trophies and Wallace swag.!!!!....I think there’s still an address or two I’m looking for but hope to get these out this week!!...let’s go for it again people..You all are the Best tomato growers in the world.   Monday, May 24 View Page Just got through talking with Zeke... these are his Easter egg plants.   Monday, May 24 View Page Dam...forgot where I was...good drugs...these are cockscomb...   Monday, May 24 View Page Man she planted a lot...gonna be petunia crazy here this summer...I’m off watering duty...lol.   Monday, May 24 View Page What was she thinking.   Monday, May 24 View Page Lol...she’s gotta come home for lunch now. Look at that lions ear that volunteered to grow back in March....   Monday, May 24 View Page First day we brought it out the hummingbirds were drinking from it...I lost my place again....flowers, flowers , lion ear...got it...whew!!   Monday, May 24 View Page Put some giant kale in last week...I think it was last week...   Monday, May 24 View Page Very cold cold next morning...   Monday, May 24 View Page Pumpkin do good too...she’s on a hill so won’t see her for a bit...omgzzlol   Monday, May 24 View Page Those of you remember our record season?...when I fell off the ladder and shredded my acl?...we gonna do the same this year....till Nicely with organic ferts....   Monday, May 24 View Page Prep really nice loose airy bed for plants...then mounds with goodies...and starter packs...k...cHECk!....what’s left?...   Monday, May 24 View Page Oh yea...that’s right ...let’s go with fractured hip and broken femur...FEEmUr....FEEEEEmuuuRRr...that’s really fun to say...Zeke is gonna line up tomato draft teams while I ween off good medicines from hospital...surgery went well should be back to it in a few weeks...(gulp face emoji).... Thanks for being friends you guys...just another bump in the road..   Sunday, August 22 View Page Anyone know the difference between Dubai and Abu Dahbi?…   Sunday, August 22 View Page Dubai, Doesn’t like the flintStones….   Sunday, August 22 View Page Abu Dahbi DOO!!!!!…… ahhh… good to be back.   Sunday, August 22 View Page Ok…. As it turns out, my good spirits and positive outlook lasted about four seconds after the morphine drip wore off. You know what they give you in NY for pain medicine for a broken hip anowadays?… ibuprofen. Not gonna lie,the first two weeks were rough. “ It went well and you’ll be off crutches in 6 weeks”, turned into- “ ehh..it didn’t quite go back on straight, it’ll be 10 weeks on crutches” which is now, and I quote, “ well, it’s time to slowly start putting weight on the leg and we will watch to see if it crumbles over the next few months “. Dang it all, this was our year!!…This sucks. Still. Good to finally get caught up in big pumpkin land though. Now to salvage some kind of journal…   Sunday, August 22 View Page WHATS UP PUMPKIN HEADS!!!!!!!!… you know what doesn’t suck?… all the pumpkin utube channels goin on this year!!!…y’all have been busy!!!!…this last month I’ve been down the dang rabbit hole with Mobymike,mellow yellow and four or five others showing us how they get it done in their patches. Lots of fun stuff happening out there. Especially the rookie garden tours!!!…Between the videos and all these notes lambchop took during the gpc convention, We had high hopes she could pick up my slack for this season…   Sunday, August 22 View Page She’s been working really hard…the two sets of walking boards is so I could crutch over to the pumpkin without sinking into the dirt. That’s proof she still loves me right there…which is good, considering she wanted to murder me 10 weeks ago…   Sunday, August 22 View Page That’s right !… it’s was great..not so much for her really, but com on!… pumpkin FaceTime!!??….how cool!!...(she wasn’t a fan)….. Let’s just say she made the decision to go w orange and the 1665 Macdonald over the grower error vine split Delates seed. (I swear she sabatoges my attempts at growing “big” genetics). It is what it is…in hindsight I was a little tough on her.I was stuck inside.   Sunday, August 22 View Page The FaceTime calls were replaced with photos as I was left to turn to dust on the couch…here’s a couple contenders on the main………..”time to start thinking s-curve”, I said…”how do you do that with a pumpkin on each side?”…plan for the better one, adjust if needed for the other..   Sunday, August 22 View Page She said “ok…gotcha!”… the plant was growing nicely judging by the photos. The cool rainy weather set in at the beginning of June and pretty much stuck around. Grey , cool and wet. Still stuck on the couch…hadn't seen the garden in weeks… no more FaceTime and the photos were getting far and few between.   Sunday, August 22 View Page That’s when a good friend of mine stopped over with a “surprise for me”….a scooter to ride up to the gardens!!!…oh man!… what a blessing!!… to be able to ride out back and check the progress of the plants!!!…blessing for me…not so much lambchop…I got mad that last week in June.   Sunday, August 22 View Page I even drew what an s-curve would look like for crying out loud!!!…what she didn’t tell me was she had left both fruits on the vine to this size…both 5 lobers exactly the same. She was having”trouble “ deciding to the point that the main was already off and rooting…you can see the other pumpkin stem on the other side of the main…they were the same, but I called that one an f-word somethin so she went with the one that would be easiest to move if need be.   Sunday, August 22 View Page I got this pic a day or two later…uggh…I mean, I guess it’s some slack…we talked about growth and size and decided to pull up what was rooted on the main and shift it to make room.   Sunday, August 22 View Page Look at that…all caught up …she’s even looking for more to do!!…(yea…how bout ya turn around , the mater patch is the other way!”   Sunday, August 22 View Page Uugh…not a good year for the maters…they were ready to transplant to solo cups at the end of may and sat in the cell tray for at least 10 days…they got up-planted and got stunted again in the cups. Not a good start. They went in the ground almost a month late.More rain   Sunday, August 22 View Page Most plants had megas while they were in the cups….none of them took…   Sunday, August 22 View Page And while they did start to come around and grow, you just don’t want stunted plants…and if you do stunt them, you definitely don’t want to overwater them.   Sunday, August 22 View Page She did a great job with the mounds.…they actually look better then I thought they could….but Mother Nature was in the mood to Water this spring and summer.   Sunday, August 22 View Page I mean…what the hell can ya do?….standing water all season… still standing today…more rain on the way. It took out this whole corner of the garden….shoulda planted rice.   Sunday, August 22 View Page The End of June was rough but the Missus just kept at it..this was the only good photo she showed me…I bitched about the one top tap root that wasn’t covered…lol…sorry lambchop. Keep her goin!….more rain.   Sunday, August 22 View Page Getting into July , I can’t remember a season with more cool, wet, grey days then this year. You could literally watch the food being washed out of the patch..tissue samples showed very low nitrogen. No surprise when you get 14” of rain in three weeks. Time for daily inspections. Hi Maw!!!   Sunday, August 22 View Page Stem checks, blossom end checks, stump checks, vine slack checks.   Sunday, August 22 View Page The blossom end is looking good!…plant responding to nutrient adjustments a little bit. So much rain.   Sunday, August 22 View Page More stem checks!…good slack I hope!   Sunday, August 22 View Page Eesh… not the best situation..she might have to move if she gets tight…shaping up to be a beauty on the 1665 Macdonald   Sunday, August 22 View Page This was my first morning I was able to get up to the garden before her…it was nice. a little alone time with a pumpkin can really do a person good.   Sunday, August 22 View Page Last day of the endless weeks of wet, cold, bullcrap weather. Forecast looks beautiful.   Sunday, August 22 View Page Wow!…look at that beauty!…sun came out just in time for the show!   Sunday, August 22 View Page A few days later and she is still growing!…looks like the nutrients are greening things back up too!… loving those John young genetics!!   Sunday, August 22 View Page Saydee was loving the sun too!!… she was stuck inside with daddy those rainy weeks..munching on some spinach for lunch ding dong?!!..lol…cute little shit.   Sunday, August 22 View Page Lookin good here…the grass is usually not this green this time of year. From soggy to perfect 80-85 degrees, low humidity at the end of July.   Sunday, August 22 View Page This was My first evening I was able to sit in the gardens and just soak it in…(with a phone camera!!)….the colors, the butterflies, the hummingbirds, lambchop working her ass off…I love this photo…she’s crushing it.   Sunday, August 22 View Page Stem checks continue and so far so good..” should move her now” I said….she was too scared…   Sunday, August 22 View Page She was really starting to fill in, both the plant and the pumpkin…   Sunday, August 22 View Page And while not growing at break-neck speeds, she was growing…   Sunday, August 22 View Page I love this pic… I named it “ Pumpkin Vine in C sharp”….jeezuz   Sunday, August 22 View Page Plant color improving, still growing..warm nights…com on lambchop…now or never…   Sunday, August 22 View Page One last check just that first week of august and she was convinced..can’t wait any longer.   Sunday, August 22 View Page “Good night girl “…moving day tomrw…if successful …she gets a name!! (Finally!!!)   Sunday, August 22 View Page The move was a success!!!…and I got to help!!..wooohooo!!..(from my scooter..but still)…Meet Gloria!!…she’s beautiful!!! We weren’t able to just clamp onto the mill fabric because she didn’t have enough under the pumpkin so we strapped her along the widest Cc and used chain falls. A little relief.   Sunday, August 22 View Page All tucked in and ready for a few more sunny days!!!..   Sunday, August 22 View Page Gooorrrrjuuuhhhssss!!!!!   Sunday, August 22 View Page Still checking the stump/ vines/ stem/ blossom/ and vine slack every day…adjustments always during the warm part of the day…she’s moving in the right direction..   Sunday, August 22 View Page Definitely getting snug again on this side. Watching it closely….check and re-check.   Sunday, August 22 View Page And knock on wood , we've had no issues down the main or at the stump. But we are wet and it looks like more on the way…   Sunday, August 22 View Page A little tidying up before the rains come again..4 inches on the way…   Sunday, August 22 View Page You can do it Gloria!!..beautiful patch lambchop   Sunday, August 22 View Page Mater patch was lookin good too…I was able to get around in there and help get them straightened up and pruned back. Time to get in there again. Speaking of maters, holy hell there’s been some bombs this year!!!… Jack’s killin it..materdocs monster…did I just see a 7.35 on utube this morning?…Kerry?… u know anything bout that?…also saw a pic of a real contender for the 10 pound challenge…has the right shape to get er done…dunno if I’m not supposed to say anything….state records being broke including a secret one…holy heck it’s mater season…good luck y’all!..hopefully we are just getting started here.!!!   Sunday, August 22 View Page Last week was too wet and crappy for pics but I got this one from a grower friend!!…hope others planted these lions ear this year..the hummingbirds love it!!   Sunday, August 22 View Page A trip up the driveway to give her a look see after more rains fell…   Sunday, August 22 View Page “Gloria” on the The 1665 Macdonald. Stem good/ blossom good….She’s still growing… nuthin crazy but it would be a shame to lose one this pretty… hurricane “ henri” is on the way. We do not need anymore rain!!… time to finish strong!..(and put poison out for the mice). Please please please please please!!!!!….lol   Saturday, September 4 View Page More garden pics…look at lambchop…all covered in Wallace Wow 5-2 humic fulvic/seaweed blend, lol…she’s been working so hard…She was actually chewing her nails before tropical storm “on-ree” was about to hit.   Saturday, September 4 View Page I don’t blame her either.. one tiny little blurb on the outskirts of the radar hit just our town and dumped 1/2” of rain in 8 minutes…time for some photos in case we get wiped out. I do realize I might be slightly biased, but this is one the prettiest pumpkins I’ve ever seen…   Saturday, September 4 View Page She grew the damn “big pumpkins” pumpkin for crying out loud!!!…get in there for a pic!!!!   Saturday, September 4 View Page What a beauty!!..I took a few pics then switched to video…” Dance with her” I said. That’s where I got myself in trouble…   Saturday, September 4 View Page Alright…I’m not on social media so I’m always late to hear about the “ internet fads” or “tik tok challenges” but for some reason I get a kick out of watching the videos and memes of the videos. This one is “the banjo beat” challenge. Which I believe was just a “dancing with your head” video to this song…anyhow, there’s some meme videos of the original Bella Porch videos that lambchop saw…I haven’t talked to her in a couple days and I told her I took the video down, but her last words to me were “ AM I HUMPING A PUMPKIN!!?”..she was mad. I liked the video..probably funnier if you know what the “banjo beat challenge” is….Here’s the link. (Would love if you can share this on the Facebook..maybe Ron will see it). YouTube video   Saturday, September 4 View Page The storm missed us…time to get back to work. She’s tying up the volunteer giant red amaranth…one of my faves.   Saturday, September 4 View Page Got into a really nice stretch of weather…she’s bringing more flowers into the patch…that’s one petunia plant!..   Saturday, September 4 View Page She found a spot atop a 55 gallon drum.   Saturday, September 4 View Page “Gloria” …I’m telling ya,..she’s a stunner..sheet only comes off a few minutes a day.   Saturday, September 4 View Page Gotta watch what angle the sun is when she does get uncovered…she’ll blind the colorblind.   Saturday, September 4 View Page She’s still ticking away too…more stump checks/ stem checks..lookin good.   Saturday, September 4 View Page And the Missus has not lightened up one bit…she’s all caught up…just a few straggler weeds here and there..rockin the Wallace wow hat.   Saturday, September 4 View Page The oldest part of the plant is toast but there’s still a good 400 square ft to get her the rest of the way. Love this time of year.   Saturday, September 4 View Page The dinner plate dahlias are just getting started. She really has grown a beautiful garden.   Saturday, September 4 View Page Wowzers she’s been getting good color lately. All systems go.   Saturday, September 4 View Page Lord have mercy on my soul…gorgeous!!!   Saturday, September 4 View Page Amaranth, dinner plate dahlias and lantana= beautiful fall color.   Saturday, September 4 View Page Andy texted me to see how we were doing..Andy-we haven’t measured in a few weeks but here’s lambchop putting sulpher on the stem. No weeds here.